We headed for White River today where we'd booked another fabulous Airbnb up on a mountain over looking a lush valley. On our way, we passed miles of farms growing sugarcane, banana & other fruit trees and macadamia nut trees...and very little litter. Homes are mostly cement block with metal roofs and though some are a bit rough, most look pretty good. Some really nice. Vastly different than Mozambique!
Amanda & Paddy, our host are from UK but have built a impressive hotel/home & we're in a cottage beside them. It's cleverly decorated with many modern features.
We were surprised when Amanda said power grid is often turned off & she'd let us know when she got notice. We commented how nice SA was...She smiled and said, "SA is is really a 3rd world country with a 1st world veneer." Guess we're in the veneer right now!
Today we drove the Panoramic Drive. The name describes it well. Incredible views overlooking valleys filled with thousands of acres of planted trees...some 50' tall & straight as a metal pole. The lower branches were torched so the bare trunk remained. Some field had been harvested and just charred stumps remained.
As we climbed, the rounded mountains looked like they were covered with velvet. Next rugged mountains came into view. They'd been sliced down the middle by mountain streams which were flowing fast due to recent rains...and after a 3 year drought. When the streams came to the mountain cliffs, tremendous waterfalls rushed over them. Some causing perfectly formed pot holes to form. With the sun shining, rainbows formed in the mist. Such great timing for us...recent rain & sun!
We stopped for lunch at a famous pancake house with a chocolate store next to it. Mmmm. A couple hours later we came to Potluck Boskombuis....a restaurant serving authentic African food. The bridge there was closed so we had to scramble over rocks next to a fast running river until we got there. The restaurant was situated under a rock ledge. Food was cooked over an open fire in a half barrel. We weren't hungry, so we sat by the river drinking beer & Coke and ordered the special, bobotie to go.
Our last stop on the Panoramic Drive was called God's Window...breathtaking!
Just before getting back to our Airbnb, we passed a McD...yup I couldn't resist. The Coke Light & hamburger were almost like home & the fries were spot on!! Rog of course, ate a burger too...just because he could. Then when we got back, Rog heated up his bobotie liking that too. He said it tasted like beef hash.
We sure saw some gorgeous parts of SA today!!
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